Typically, time and management studies have heretofore required time-consuming methods involving hand written entries, computer terminal entries, bar-code station inputs and magnetic card inputs before a meaningful correlation can be obtained. Each of these methods required the record-keeping individual to identify many parameters including the time of day, the start and finish of a designated task, identification of interruptions caused by other jobs arising in mid-stream, and so on. Often, more time was wasted locating the designated tabulation sheet and recording data thereon, or in obtaining access to a computer/bar-code terminal than the actual job required. In addition, the prior art methods generated a high support cost for computer resources and a highly labor intensive effort to translate the data and subsequent data entry.
As technology developed, the need to develop means to create an accurate record of an individual worker's daily activities in a multi-task environment became apparent, particularly if efficiency and cost effectiveness were to be maximized in a multi-task environment.
There are significant personnel reasons for having such a means available because it allows promotions and increases to be predicated upon a solid performance basis and eliminates supervisor preference or prejudice from the equation used to define such advancements.
The present invention is directed to solving the problems of the prior art by providing efficient automated means and methods for tabulating the time and the duration of a multitude of tasks, both general and specific, performed by an individual during the course of the workday for the purpose of time and labor management studies.